Miscellaneous
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36 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Rebecca O'Brien on Dec 15, 2016 7:36:16 GMT
There were some things about this job that Becca couldn’t stand. The constant bias twisting so many of the articles. The way people tended to assume being a reporter automatically put her in the Minister’s pocket. How so many of her colleagues tended to view her as a boat rocker. Which, to be fair, she was. Becca was out for the truth, and no agenda would stop her from getting it. Still. They didn’t have to get so put out about it. But there were bright spots about this job. One of them happened to be named Rolf. The writer had come stumbling into the office one day looking a bird that had fallen out of its nest, and Becca had felt compelled to take him under her wing a bit. Every good reporter needed a sidekick. And Rolf, bless his distractible little soul, needed someone who would just let him be Rolf. Besides, if Becca was being perfectly honest, she could use a person to mother every now and then what with her siblings all technically adults and her nephew and nieces busy with school. This particular morning Becca approached his desk to find the columnist chugging away at something. He probably didn’t even realize she was there. “Get your coat, Watson,” she said brightly, arming herself with a kind smile to help ease the heart attack she had probably just caused. She really did try not to enjoy these little scares too much. “I'm off to track down some caffeine. And you are coming with me.” If Rolf protested, she could always bribe him with a pastry and the chance to talk her ear off about his latest plant fascination. And if that failed, Becca was not above dragging him along. Literally. Someone had to make sure he remembered to eat. Plus Rolf was one of the few coworkers she could stand to be around for an extended period of time, so that typically made him her automatic accomplice. Rolf Scamander |
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Miscellaneous
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Rolf Scamander on Dec 15, 2016 15:35:25 GMT
Some would call it a shortcoming and some a talent, but no one would deny Rolf had an uncanny ability to largely ignore the world around him, even as it roiled. How else could one work in the Daily Prophet offices, really? Rolf was aloof, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew what was going on in the world and what part his paper had to play in all that. But Rolf didn't like what was going on in the world presently, or at most times really, and he ignored things he didn't like in favor of spending time on things he did. As long as there was still room on the back page of the Prophet for his little naturalist column, he would ignore all his days away.
There were dangers in ignoring your surroundings, a lesson Rolf learned time and time again but it just never stuck. Danger always lurked, and nothing was quite as dangerous to Rolf as a human - Becca, though, was maybe an exception. Her voice suddenly ringing out around him did cause him to jump in his seat, but Rolf was able to look up at her with a distracted smile once he recovered. Rolf did not do well with human beings, but Becca really was an exception. She didn't try to force anything on him or his writing, while still being interesting enough to talk to. And - though he was ashamed to admit it even to himself, and would never say it out loud - she shielded him sometimes from those parts of the world that just flat out refused to be ignored. Or made it easier to look at, at least.
"Okay, Sherlock." That probably would have been funnier if he could have thought of anything at all more clever than 'okay'. Rolf ducked his head sheepishly back down at the parchment he was scribbling on, his unfinished words pulling him back in like nothing else could. He took his quill back up in his hand, having dropped it in his fright, while Becca spoke again. "Just give me...one...more...minute." Rolf scribbled fast, finishing his train of thought and popping some notes in the margins for later. If he didn't write it down, chances are he would forget - that brain of his was awful full.
"Sounds like an interesting story. Got any leads?" Rolf suddenly looked back up, dropping his quill and standing up with a smile. He was far too late with that joke, but Rolf was never very good with timing.
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Miscellaneous
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36 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Rebecca O'Brien on Dec 16, 2016 8:23:43 GMT
Becca’s smile widened when Rolf called her Sherlock. Truth be told, she was probably more of a Mrs. Hudson to Rolf’s Sherlock. The columnist might be a little scatterbrained at times, but he was also sweet and curious and funny. How anyone could dislike him was completely beyond Becca. He went back to scribbling, and Becca waited in silence for him to finish. She understood all too well the burning need to get words on paper before they vanished. And usually it really was just a minute. There had been the one time she’d had to come looking for him half an hour later, but that was just the once.
True to form, Rolf finally finished his scribbling. He even fired off a joke of his own. The fact that it was several beats too late only made it more endearing to Becca. She grinned conspiratorially as she waited to Rolf to gather whatever he would need to fend off the chill December air. “Well, word on the street is the muffins are planning a move against the scones. And I know a latte who might be able to give us the details.” Some of Becca’s coworkers found her cold and intimidating. But there was just something about the way Rolf saw the world that tended to pull out a more playful side of her.
Once Rolf was all set, Becca headed off in the direction of the main entrance with the naturalist beside her. “So what were you writing about back there?” Becca had never been much for flora and fauna, unlike her plant-loving middle brother, but she was learning quite a lot from being around Rolf. Which she could then use to impress Isaac. Her brother actually had a standing order for Becca to save all of Rolf’s plant-related columns whenever he was off raiding tombs. And also not to touch any of his houseplants lest she inadvertently murder one (which might or might not have happened before), but that was completely beside the point.
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Miscellaneous
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Rolf Scamander on Dec 20, 2016 6:41:17 GMT
His coat, right. Becca had said something about getting his coat on. He stood there awkwardly beside his desk for half a beat, wondering what she was waiting for - Rolf, obviously, usually followed Becca around rather than the opposite (unless they were trying to get lost) - but soon jumped to it, hoping he played it off as just another moment of distraction. Swear, he could use her around the apartment some mornings, just to remind him to put matching socks on. Rolf pulled on his coat and pulled a Hufflepuff toboggan down over his ears, laughing at Becca's breakfast intel. "Sounds like we're really going to have to turn the heat up on this latte," he grinned, following the woman away from his desk. Rolf didn't understand the reputation Becca had with some people in the office. From the moment he met her, she'd been so nice to him - and he thought she was absolutely hilarious.
Most of all though, and more than most people both in the office and out in Rolf's personal life, Becca was one of the few people that were happy to just let Rolf talk. He knew he got overly excited sometimes, and that excitement lay in a very niche subject area, but he really couldn't help it. He was passionate about what he loved and it was so refreshing to share that excitement with another human being sometimes, not just talking out loud to himself or his niffler in his empty apartment. It wasn't just that, though. Rolf did feel the brunt of his social awkwardness, but he was also painfully shy. Becca was the type of person who would listen to him without making him feel uncomfortable.
And if she was happy to listen, Rolf was happy to talk. "Oh, grindylows." He nodded, gathering his thoughts about what exactly it was he had been writing about. He tended to trail off subject quite a lot. "I've really been missing going out in the water with this cold weather, so I've got a sort of 'summer memories' theme going on with my columns lately. I got inspired by some lobalugs I found in a tide pool on the shore the other day - were you able to read that one? Fascinating little things. So resourceful for something without much in the way of eyes or feet." A distracted smile floated across Rolf's face. What were they talking about again? Oh - right. "The grindylows, though. I think I'm on to something in regards to their diet. Unfortunately, it looks like any research will actually have to wait until the summer. Late spring, at the earliest." Rolf took a deep breath, glancing sheepishly over at his companion as they walked. Even for Becca, he knew when enough was enough. "What have you got going on lately?"
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Miscellaneous
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36 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Rebecca O'Brien on Feb 12, 2017 7:35:51 GMT
Becca waited patiently for Rolf to gather both his faculties and his coat. At least she hadn’t needed to remind him this time. Although if she was being perfectly honest, Becca rather liked that Rolf occasionally needed some mothering. Her siblings were all too grown up now to be mothered. Even Hannah could only take so much. But Becca was a creature of habit and she didn’t really know how to not be motherly. Thankfully, Rolf didn’t seem to mind one bit.
He also put up with Becca’s ridiculous jokes. She nodded, doing her best to look serious despite the twinkle in her eyes. “I agree. It might be a good idea to sample some scones too while we’re there. See if they can confirm anything.” She winked playfully at Rolf. He might not be one of her younger brothers, but he still made a perfect sidekick.
Summer sounded like the perfect theme for a column in the middle of the winter. Becca didn’t really mind the cold much herself. But there were certainly days she wished her fingers didn’t get quite so cold walking to Diagon Alley to the office. She nodded in answer to his question. “I did, actually. I didn’t realize they were so interesting.” She tried to read as many of Rolf’s columns as possible, both for his self-esteem and because it gave her something to talk about with Isaac. Of course Rolf had decided to examine the venomous creatures. Becca shook her head with a smile. “Just be sure you’re careful,” she told him with just a hint of what her siblings lovingly referred to as the mom tone. “I know you know what you’re doing, but this place would be horribly boring without you.” There was no doubt that Rolf was her favorite. So as much as she supported his interests, if he landed himself in St. Mungo’s, she would have to make him regret it.
The question of her own projects was met with a shrug. Becca was good at what she did, and she knew nosing around the Ministry was important. But it wasn’t quite as cheery as Rolf’s column. “Officially, I’ve got this series explaining all the legalese of the new creature legislation. Lots of talking to the Wizengamot members.” She wrinkled her nose briefly to show what she thought of that. A stuffy lot that talked in circles. Sometimes Becca wished they could just sack the bunch and start over.
Her eyes roamed around the office at her various colleagues performing this duty and that as she kept talking. Some of these people sided pretty hard with the Ministry. But Becca had a pretty good idea of where Rolf stood on issues like creature rights, so that made it safe to be honest. Even if the legality of what she was doing might be a little questionable. “Off the record though I’m doing some poking around the task force. I got a possible lead on some werewolves, so I’m trying to make contact before the cavalry gets to them.” Maybe she could run interference or something. Becca had never been much good at sitting still, especially when there were wrongs to be righted.
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Miscellaneous
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Rolf Scamander on Feb 14, 2017 7:02:25 GMT
"Oh, most definitely. The scones always crumble when you ask the right questions. You're a darn fine reporter, O'Brien." Rolf's grin continued, enjoying these breakfast puns probably far more than most would. Not just because puns were hilarious, either (yes, Rolf was one of those people, the pun people; sue him) - but just because he didn't get these silly little moments too often. Rolf wasn't excessively serious or anything, just aloof and always a little late to the punch. Most jokes went right over his occupied head. He knew to expect them with Rebecca, though; he was always waiting for them, taking a second to gauge if what she was saying was serious or not. Maybe that's how they had become friends (Rolf considered them friends, anyway, even if mostly work friends) - he didn't act like a complete bloody weirdo around her, just most of one.
The weird parts were still there, for sure. "You can come with me next time, if you want. I've been trying to find this one cave I've been reading about for ages." Parts that hadn't quite learned yet - and probably never would, if we're being honest - that most grown adults didn't care a lick about the mysteries of tide pools or shoreline caves. But Becca, wonderful Becca, indulged him as always and made Rolf feel heard. It was a nice feeling. He kind of liked the feeling of her mothering him too, honestly. Rolf needed people to watch his back. "Yes, ma'am. I always wear gloves." No he didn't. Rolf wiggled his fingers in front of his face, to hide the slight color that crept into his cheeks. It was a nice feeling to know that he would be missed, too.
With more nice feelings than he knew what to do with, Rolf was more than happy to shut up and listen now. "Oh, nice," he started when Becca explained to him what she was working on, but he mimicked her facial expression a moment later. "Ah, not so nice." The Ministry bigwigs flustered the hell out of Rolf. He could barely talk to the very nice ladies and gentlemen in reception; he couldn't fathom how Becca could possibly stand talking to more than one Wizengamot member...well, actually, he could. She was Becca, that was how.
And if he knew Becca at all - he liked to think he did - he knew some stuffy piece on legal jargon couldn't be the only thing she was working on right now. Rolf waited, too nervous to ask, but eager to hear. She spilled soon enough. "That's much more interesting," he nodded, feeling Becca would definitely appreciate the frankness. For a moment after that, Rolf fell silent at her side. He knew this was a thing she cared a lot about. Lots of people cared a lot about it. Rolf...Rolf tried not to think about it. He was passionate about the rights of creatures, no doubt, and of course he didn't want innocent humans getting persecuted over nothing, either (what lunatic would want that?). But what was a werewolf? Both being and beast. Adding a human element to anything always made everything so messy. The unclear lines made Rolf uncomfortable, and like with most things that made him uncomfortable, he chose to just ignore it altogether.
That was getting increasingly hard to do. He'd have to be a complete idiot, or completely heartless, to not realize what was going on was utterly wrong. Not that he thought he could do anything about it, but still...there were people like Becca in the world, and they seemed to think they could. "Do you think there's a way you can help them? With the paper?"
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Miscellaneous
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36 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Rebecca O'Brien on Mar 2, 2017 21:56:25 GMT
Scones crumbling. Hah. Becca grinned over at Rolf, giving his arm a playful nudge with her elbow. She quite liked his puns. “Why, thank you. You’re a pretty fine reporter yourself, Scamander.” She meant it too. Just because Becca didn’t necessarily share his interests didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate the talent and hard work his column showed.
It was true that plants and animals weren’t really Becca’s thing. (Isaac had forbidden her to water his plants while he was gone, always entrusting them to Hannah instead so Becca wouldn’t inadvertently murder them.) But she knew what it meant to Rolf. And wandering around looking for a cave could be interesting, at least for a few hours. “Maybe I will. Isaac’s been after me for months now to take some time off anyway.” Rebecca O’Brien didn’t really do vacation days. She just didn’t know how. But did making sure Rolf didn’t accidentally kill himself out in the field really count as vacation? Not that she didn’t trust his capabilities. She just knew him well enough to know he could get too caught up in the material and forget to take certain safety measures. As evidenced by the blush he was trying to distract her from.
Rolf, bless him, was more than happy to be sympathetic. Becca nodded grimly. “It’s next to impossible to get a straight answer out of any of them. Especially Greengrass. She’s a snake, that one.” And not just in the Slytherin sense. Having come up through the same house, there was a part of Becca that truly admired the new head of the Wizengamot despite not agreeing with her on practically any issue. The woman certainly knew how to play the game. She made one hell of a chess opponent, and Becca always did love a good challenge. But the better someone could play politics, the more convinced Becca became that they were hiding something. “I still say there’s something sketchy about how she got the job, but Merlin knows I can’t prove it.” The whole mess with the Eye and the St. Mungo’s attack was far too jumbled for anyone to make any real sense of it, no matter what the Ministry said. Still, this job had taught Becca to trust her instincts. And they set off alarm bells every time she saw Greengrass.
Every reporter had one issue they cared about above all others. For Becca, it was creature rights. It hadn’t always been that way. Not until the Second Wizarding War when she had started bonding with her sister-in-law. Claire’s father had been a werewolf, and seeing things through the other woman’s eyes had given Becca a new appreciation for the issue. And then there was Hayden, Becca’s newly adopted niece whose only real friend her age was apparently a werewolf boy. This wasn’t just some political issue for Becca, not anymore. It was personal. “Honestly, I don’t know how much I can do through the paper. We all know it leans toward the Ministry, no matter how balanced we pretend to be. But outside of the paper...” She decided to leave that sentence hanging. If it took sneaking around the Ministry and risking her job, then maybe that was a price Becca was willing to pay. Her parents had raised her to stand up for those in need. Especially those who couldn’t stand for themselves. And heaven help anyone who tried to get in Becca's way.
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Miscellaneous
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Rolf Scamander on Mar 16, 2017 14:40:17 GMT
"It'll be fun!" Rolf said, glowing from the compliment and from the thought that someone might actually want to come along for once. It made him so happy that he went on and did something completely out of the ordinary for him - "He could come, too, if he wanted." Rolf didn't do strangers very well. But if he was someone associated with Becca, Rolf thought he could manage. And if he was in his natural habitat while this was happening, all the better.
Rolf listened intently to Becca's talk about her Ministry interviews and articles. He had to listen closely, to pick up on all the details he was left out on through his not paying attention to the world otherwise. Greengrass was the leader now, he at least knew that. He'd have to be blind not to know that, as much as her name was tossed around. When Becca threw it out there that she thought there was something sketchy about the woman, Rolf raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I figure that's most of the Ministry now, innit? No one seems happy with how things are run now...'cept the Ministry itself, and the Daily Prophet, o' course." He wasn't completely tone deaf, either. Part of the reason why he avoided politics so much was because of the intense negativity surrounding most of it.
Becca didn't sound as confident in any sort of plan as he thought she might - but she didn't sound totally hopeless, either. Such a look would be unbecoming on a person like Becca. If she couldn't get something through one channel, she moved on to the next. Rolf admired her spirit. He grinned at her, eyebrows still up. "You up to something?"
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